1997 is arguable the best Phish vintage in existence. The crew is firing on all cylinders and is at peak Phish 1.0. While there are plenty of gems from ’97, Phish’s show from December 7th, 1997 in Dayton ranks among the top. Don’t take my word for it—Phish.net ranks the show at the Nutter Center 13th of all time.

While most band’s soundchecks are forgettable, Phish soundchecks have a quality difficult to pinpoint. My favorite Phish soundcheck is easily the 46-minute improvised Magnaball soundcheck.

The P-fish treated the soundcheck at the Nutter Center back in December of ’97 more like a mini-set. Trey, Mike, Page and Fish played some covers including Stevie Wonder’s “Boogie On Reggae Woman,” Zeppel’s “The Rover,” and Ween’s “The Stallion.” They also did some teases and gags before the big show.

1) 00:00 “Boogie On Reggae Woman” (Stevie Wonder cover)
2) 07:25 “Funky Bitch” (Trey on lead vocals)
3) 12:56 “I’ll Be Around” (The Spinners cover, snippet)
4) 18:47 “For No Reason Here’s Apu” (from The Simpsons)
5) 19:59 “Demand” (snippet)
6) 20:26 “My Mind’s Got A Mind Of Its Own” (Butch Hancock cover)
7) 24:15 “The Stallion (Pt. 3)” (Ween cover, snippet)
8) 26:05 “The Rover” (Led Zeppelin cover)
9) 29:10 “Limb By Limb” (snippet, Fishman only)

Thanks to Live For Live Music for surfacing the awesome soundboard recording!

Photo credit: phlecktone with the disposable camera!